What is the worst thing about cats?

For a cat caretaker/guardian who loves her cat asking ‘what is the worst thing about cats?’ is probably a non-starter because there is no worst thing for her. The question refers to cats generally not your cat and his habits.

I don’t think it is right to ask the question. It’s too negative but if pressed I’d have to come up with the classics in feline behaviour which can clash with the human lifestyle.

The first is hunting. It is impossible to separate hunting from the cat. It is everything for the cat. But I wonder how we’d get on if the cat was not a predator? Predation by the domestic and stray cat causes a lot of problems for the cat which become the owner’s problem.

I am not referring to health issues but issues of government policy. In order to protect wildlife governments consider restrictions on cat ownership. This affects owners and their cats. And play revolves around hunting. It can get aggressive. This too works against the cat because it can lead to abandonments.

Next is territorial behaviour. Cats have a home range and this presents issues of all kinds for both indoor cats and cats allowed outside. For example, for indoor/outdoor cats fights can ensue with stranger cats entering the home range. For indoor cats a degree of space is needed for the cats to feel comfortable.

Despite being quite sociable in the 21st century the domestic cat’s essentially solitary nature can lead to difficulties in multi-cat households. Domestic cats often put up with fellow cats inside the home but the relationship can be strained.

The crepuscular nature of domestic cat puts her out of step with the human circadian rhythm. In many cat households the cat is most active when the human is least active. We have a clash. When cats adapt there remains that subdued desire to go out at dawn and dusk.

For me these are the behavioural traits that come to mind which might be described as the worst things about the domestic cat. Personally, I have no ‘worst thing’. I have eliminated everything to do with anatomy because the domestic cat is an amazing animal anatomically. This topic is really about behavioural characteristics.

P.S. I have made the presumption that the question refers to domestic cats.

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